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Kevin Hayes

Penguins’ Kevin Hayes Shut Down Due To Upper-Body Injury

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Forward Kevin Hayes suffered an upper-body injury during the first day of on-ice work at Penguins training camp yesterday. The Athletic’s Josh Yohe relays word from head coach Dan Muse that he’ll remain out for at least a month before being re-evaluated, putting him out for opening night and around five games after that, at least.

This was an important camp for the veteran Hayes, who is entering the final season of his contract, to prove he can maintain a spot in the lineup ahead of a bevy of younger forwards and higher-ceiling reclamation projects looking to make an impact for the retooling Pens. There’s a marginal chance he ends up on the outside of their top 12 forwards when he’s cleared to return as a result.

Hayes, 33, arrived in the organization in the 2024 offseason as a cap dump by the Blues. The Flyers are still on the hook for the half of his salary they retained when trading him to St. Louis the year prior, so he only costs $3.57MM against the Penguins’ cap as he kicks off the last year of a seven-year, $50MM deal he signed with Philly in 2019. The veteran of nearly 800 NHL games is no longer the consistent top-six presence he once was, now failing to reach 30 points in back-to-back seasons. He was limited to 64 appearances last year – partially due to injury but also due to several healthy scratches – and produced a 13-10–23 scoring line with a -15 rating.

The Penguins were likely looking to get Hayes a bit more playing time out of the gate this year, if for no other reason than to showcase him for a trade. They can knock a further 50% off his salary to make him a $1.79MM player for an interested team, who may be interested in adding a serviceable veteran with his skillset to their bottom-six forward group. If he’s no longer an everyday forward on a team expected to be among the league’s worst this year, though, they presumably won’t be able to fetch anything more than a late-round pick, even at that decreased price point.

Pittsburgh has been feeling the injury bug early in camp, also losing top prospect Rutger McGroarty to an upper-body injury that’s likely to keep him out through the beginning of the season. Both are likely ticketed for IR as a result. Their absences create a clearer path for on-the-fringe forwards like Filip Hallander and Ville Koivunen to nab opening-night jobs.

Injury Updates: Kraken, Holloway, Hayes, Woo

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The Kraken announced (Twitter links) that defenseman Brandon Montour is set to miss the next two weeks after undergoing a procedure to remove a bursa on his ankle.  The 31-year-old fit in rather well in his first season with Seattle, notching a career-best 18 goals while his 41 points were the second-most he’d had in a single season.  The timeline suggests that he still should be available to start the season but he might not get into any preseason action.

Meanwhile, the team also provided injury updates on several other players.  Veteran forward Max McCormick is out indefinitely and won’t participate in training camp.  He wasn’t up with the Kraken last season so there won’t be a prorated cap charge while he sits on season-opening IR.  Also, winger Lleyton Roed is expected to miss the next two months with an upper-body injury while forward Nathan Villeneuve is out with a lower-body injury that is still pending evaluation.  Villeneuve isn’t able to play full-time in the minors this season so he will likely be returned to OHL Sudbury when he’s cleared to return.

Other injury notes from around the NHL:

  • Blues winger Dylan Holloway underwent abdominal surgery after sustaining an early in early April that kept him out for the stretch run and playoffs. However, team reporter Chris Pinkert relays that the 23-year-old was a full participant at practice today while Holloway indicated that the injury wound up healing quicker than originally anticipated, allowing him to get a good summer of training in.  It’s already a contract year for and after putting up 63 points in a breakout effort last season, Holloway appears to be in line for a significant raise on the $2.29MM he’ll be making this season.
  • Penguins center Kevin Hayes left practice early today after taking a hit from Ryan Graves. Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review relays (Twitter link) that head coach Dan Muse didn’t have an immediate update after practice and that he’s still being evaluated.  The 33-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and is coming off a relatively quiet year last season where he scored just 13 goals and 10 assists in 64 games, his first year with Pittsburgh.
  • Canucks defenseman Jett Woo underwent surgery to repair an upper-body injury this summer and is listed as out month-to-month, relays Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province. He played through the injury to help AHL Abbotsford win the Calder Cup back in the spring.  The 25-year-old had 18 points in 67 games in the minors last season but will be waiting a while to make his 2025-26 debut.

Penguins Listening To Trade Offers For Most 2026 UFAs

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The Penguins are open to trading nearly every name on their roster entering the final season of their contract in 2025-26, aside from franchise center Evgeni Malkin, Josh Yohe of The Athletic writes Tuesday.

That list is comprised of forwards Noel Acciari, Kevin Hayes, Danton Heinen, and Blake Lizotte; defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok; and goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. Among that group, Acciari, Hayes, and Nedeljkovic are the ones Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas would most like to extract some value from rather than hanging onto them in the final years of their deals. There is one other soon-to-be pending UFA not included above. That’s depth defenseman Ryan Shea, who signed a one-way extension for 2025-26 a few months ago and is expected to slot into a consistent third-pairing slot next season – if not higher – given the organization’s dearth of blue-liners.

It’s unsurprising news about a team labeled as the league’s only true seller entering the 2025 offseason. Moving on from the forwards listed above wouldn’t pose much of an issue for the Pens, who have more youngsters available up front who can handle internal promotions next year, whether that’s out of the gate or closer to the trade deadline. Filip Hallander, Ville Koivunen, Rutger McGroarty, and Samuel Poulin are all forwards under 25 years old who can likely handle full-time or fringe NHL duties next season after spending most of 2024-25 in the minors or in Europe.

Of the group mentioned, it appears Lizotte is the only name Dubas would consider extending to continue serving as a depth piece amid what will likely be a years-long retool if no trade materializes. While not “untouchable,” the Penguins like the above-average offense he provided in a fourth-line role this past year (11-9–20 in 59 GP) and could be open to keeping him around for another year or two.

None of those names should be expected to garner the Penguins anything more than a decent mid-round draft pick. Heinen was the best of the bunch offensively for the Pens in 2024-25, producing at a 32-point pace after being re-acquired from the Canucks in the Marcus Pettersson trade. The 29-year-old does have spotty 15-to-20-goal upside and is usually good for around 30 points, so he could be well-positioned to generate the most valuable return, speculatively as high as a late second-round pick or similarly valued prospect.

Moving on from Nedeljkovic would cause the most significant domino effect on the NHL roster, but according to Yohe, that isn’t an obstacle for a move. The team would be perfectly “content” from trading the veteran backup (or higher-priced struggling starter Tristan Jarry instead) while promoting top prospect Joel Blomqvist to a full-time NHL role in 2025-26 and letting 21-year-old Sergei Murashov take over as the minor-league starter in AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Injury Notes: Heineman, Rutta, Hayes

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Montreal Canadians’ left winger Emil Heineman returned to the lineup tonight in an all-important matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes, per Eric Engles of Sportsnet. He is slotted on the fourth line alongside Jake Evans and Joel Armia. Heineman has missed the last five games due to his upper-body injury.

In 61 games this season, the 23-year-old has produced 10 goals and 18 points. The 6’2, 200-pounder has also contributed 171 hits while maintaining a low amount of penalty minutes (20). His return comes after his second extended injury of the year. He previously missed five weeks with an upper-body injury sustained on a road trip in Utah when he was struck by a car. The Habs need a win against the Hurricanes to secure their place in the playoffs.

Other injury updates of note:

  • Veteran defender Jan Rutta was on the ice for the San Jose Sharks’ morning skate and could be inserted back into the lineup, per Max Miller of the Sharks Hockey Digest. Miller noted that Luca Cagnoni was sent back down to the AHL yesterday, perhaps clearing a path for Rutta’s return. Rutta missed nearly two months with a lower body injury before recently returning to the lineup. However, the team opted to sit Rutta out in game two of a back-to-back on Monday. Rutta recently expressed his desire to re-sign with the Sharks. The 34-year-old is set for free agency this summer but has enjoyed his opportunity to play in San Jose. On the season, Rutta has produced nine points, 80 blocked shots, and a minus-three rating.
  • Penguins’ forward Kevin Hayes is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, NHL.com reporter Wes Crosby. With Pittsburgh having one game remaining on the season (Thursday against the Capitals), Hayes’ season is more than likely done. Hayes has produced 13 goals and 23 points in 64 games on the season. Despite spending time early in the season as a healthy scratch, Hayes has produced solid numbers in a mostly fourth line role. He was also recently nominated as the team’s King Clancy Memorial Trophy nominee. The award is given to the player who best exemplifies leadership and made significant contributions to the community. Hayes has one year left on his current deal and comes with a $3.5MM AAV (Philadelphia retains half of his salary).

Penguins Activate Kevin Hayes, Assign Vasily Ponomarev To AHL

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The Penguins will welcome back a veteran forward to their lineup tonight against Utah.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they have activated center Kevin Hayes off injured reserve.  To make room for him on the active roster, forward Vasily Ponomarev has been returned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Hayes is in his first season with Pittsburgh after St. Louis paid a second-round pick to offload the final two years of his deal (or at least half of it with Philadelphia retaining the other half) on the Penguins.  The 32-year-old is off to a bit of a quiet start as he has just three goals and one assist in his first 14 games.  However, he’s also averaging just 9:27 per night, by far a career-low.

A veteran of 727 career regular season appearances over parts of 11 years, Hayes has been a productive middleman at times and has five years of 44 or more points under his belt.  But with his playing time basically being limited to the fourth line so far this season, it’s unlikely that Hayes will get close to that mark, barring a change in role as the season progresses.

As for Ponomarev, he was recalled a week and a half ago and got into three games in that stretch, his first three games with Pittsburgh after they acquired him as part of the Jake Guentzel trade at last year’s trade deadline.  The 22-year-old was held off the scoresheet while averaging a little over nine minutes per game.

Ponomarev sustained an upper-body injury late in training camp, derailing any chance he had of making the opening roster and instead landed on season-opening IR until the end of October.  As a result, he hasn’t had much playing time with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton either and he has just one assist in five games at that level.  Still early in his development, consistent playing time will be needed and he’s likelier to get that at the AHL level than battling for fourth-line action with the big club.

Penguins Recall Samuel Poulin

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The Penguins announced that they have recalled right-winger Samuel Poulin from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Center Kevin Hayes was transferred to injured reserve to open an active roster spot.

Poulin, now 23, was Pittsburgh’s first-round selection in the 2019 draft. They selected him 21st overall, a tad higher than the consensus at the time, ahead of names like Connor McMichael and Shane Pinto. He’d been taken second overall in the QMJHL Entry Draft by the Sherbrooke Phoenix just two years prior, and he’d started his major junior career on the right foot with 45 goals, 76 assists, and 121 points through 122 appearances over two seasons before being plucked by the Penguins.

After another two years of high-end offensive performances in the Q, Poulin turned pro and began the 2021-22 season on assignment to WBS. Injuries and a lengthy leave of absence to focus on his mental health have limited his games played and overall performance significantly since then, though. 2022-23 was a low point – while he did make his NHL debut that season amid a three-game call-up, he was limited to just four goals in 15 AHL contests. Last year, though, he seemed to gain some traction back with 31 points (16 G, 15 A) in 41 appearances with the Baby Pens, the best point-per-game showing of his AHL career by a wide margin.

In 2024-25, Poulin was waiver-eligible for the first time, leading to a fair amount of speculation that he’d make the team out of camp purely out of fear of losing him on the wire. That didn’t happen, though, and Poulin cleared waivers without incident in early October and began the season back in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He’s got three goals and six assists for nine points in his first 11 games, tying him for second in scoring.

Poulin now looks to see NHL ice for the third year in a row after three-game showings in each of the last two seasons. In those combined six appearances, he has one assist, a -4 rating, four shots on goal and eight hits while going 13-for-29 on draws and averaging 8:53 per game. He’s no longer among the league’s top 100 prospects, but McKeen’s Hockey still ranks him as the seventh-best up-and-comer in the Pens’ system. He can remain on Pittsburgh’s roster for up to 30 days or play 10 games before he requires waivers again to head back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

As for Hayes, he was downgraded to week-to-week yesterday with an upper-body injury. The IR placement only rules him out for tonight’s game against the Stars, but he’ll miss more time than that.

Penguins’ Kevin Hayes Out Week-To-Week, Cody Glass Diagnosed With Concussion

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The Penguins have downgraded forward Kevin Hayes to week-to-week with his upper-body injury, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters (including Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Sullivan also confirmed that Cody Glass had been diagnosed with a concussion after landing on injured reserve on Friday.

Hayes has already missed two games with his upper-body injury, which he sustained last Tuesday against the Islanders, although it’s unclear which play. If the Pens need to open a roster spot, he can be placed on injured reserve retroactive to Nov. 5, while a week-to-week designation starting today means he’ll likely miss at least Pittsburgh’s next four games.

The Penguins acquired the 32-year-old Hayes from the Blues in June, also landing a 2025 second-round pick to take on the final two years of the declining veteran’s contract, of which the Flyers are already retaining half. He’s made 14 appearances for the Penguins this season, notching three goals and an assist while averaging a career-low 9:27 per game.

Meanwhile, a concussion indicates a longer-term absence for Glass than the minimum seven days required for an IR placement. Like Hayes, it’s unclear exactly what play Glass sustained the concussion during his last appearance, a 5-1 loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday. He played a season-low 4:47 and did not take a shift after the first period.

Like Hayes, Glass had made 14 appearances for Pittsburgh before the injury, recording four assists and a -7 rating while averaging 11:48 per game. It’s the 25-year-old’s first season with the Pens, who acquired him in an August trade with the Predators.

Selected sixth overall by the Golden Knights in the 2017 draft, Glass has been deployed peculiarly in a more shutdown role with Pittsburgh, making a career-high 69% of his zone starts in the defensive end at even strength. He’s responded quite well, controlling 58.7% of shot attempts and 58.3% of expected goals, even if he hasn’t broken out yet offensively.

Metro Notes: Flyers, Romanov, Reilly, Hayes, Thompson

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As hinted earlier, the Philadelphia Flyers will be a little thin in the crease tonight. The organization announced that Aleksei Kolosov will not dress tonight due to a lower-body injury and Ivan Fedotov will make his fourth start of the season.

With Samuel Ersson still on the shelf with a lower-body injury, the Flyers needed to find a backup netminder for their contest tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The role will be filled by Kyle Konin whom the team has signed to an amateur tryout agreement for tonight’s game.

Konin hasn’t played competitively in quite some time and there’s no expectation he’ll play this evening. He last suited up in 2019-20 for the Grand Valley State Lakers playing in five games split between the university’s DII and DIII club teams. Konin also served as an emergency backup netminder for the Lightning and the St. Louis Blues although he did not play.

Other Metro notes:

  • The New York Islanders will still be light on the blue line with Andrew Gross of Newsday reporting defensemen Alexander Romanov and Mike Reilly won’t re-enter the lineup tonight. Both blue-liners haven’t played since the team’s November 1st game against the Buffalo Sabres as they’re both nursing injuries. Tonight marks the third game without the pair and the Islanders have surrendered eight total games in the two games without Romanov and Reilly.
  • The play-by-play voice of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Josh Getzoff, reports Kevin Hayes is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. This confirms Hayes won’t be in the lineup tonight as the Penguins take on the Carolina Hurricanes and should make him questionable for tomorrow’s contest against the Washington Capitals. Hayes’ absence won’t dramatically affect the Penguins’ lineup as he’s only averaging 9:27 of ice time in his first year with Pittsburgh.
  • We’re only a few weeks away from full rosters being announced for the 4 Nations Face-Off and one of the bigger topics of conversation has surrounded Team Canada’s goaltenders. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported earlier that Capitals’ netminder Logan Thompson has put himself on Team Canada’s radar with his solid start to the season. Thompson hasn’t recorded a loss yet this season after six starts and has managed a .903 save percentage. Should he find a spot on Team Canada’s roster, it’ll be Thompson’s first international play since the 2022 IIHF World Championships.

Penguins Notes: Acciari, Eller, Hayes

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Matt Vensel of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Noel Acciari will likely move from center to the wing this season as the Penguins try to squeeze more juice out of the 32-year-old’s game after a disappointing 2023-24 season. Acciari was signed to a three-year $6MM contract in July of 2023 with the expectation that he could center the Penguins’ fourth line, but the results were underwhelming, to say the least.

The Johnston, Rhode Island native dealt with injuries last season and didn’t contribute much offensively with just four goals and three assists in 55 games. He was okay defensively, but his possession numbers were abysmal with a CF% of 40% at even strength. He’s been mentioned as a trade candidate this summer, but it seems unlikely that Pittsburgh could find a taker. A move to the wing could benefit Acciari and allow him to get to his game better in his second year with the Penguins.

In other Penguins notes:

  • Matt Vensel also wonders if all of the forwards Pittsburgh brought in this summer might push them to trade Lars Eller. This is hardly the first time that Eller’s name has come up in trade talks this summer, and it doesn’t seem to be quieting as training camp nears. Eller served as the Penguins’ third-line center last year and filled in admirably, particularly given the lack of consistency when it came to his linemates. The 35-year-old posted 15 goals and 16 assists in 82 games and had good possession numbers, despite starting over 70% of his shifts in the defensive zone. While he does hold some value on the trade market, he remains one of Pittsburgh’s best options to dress as a third-line center.
  • If the Penguins do move on from Eller, newly acquired forward Kevin Hayes could be his replacement on the third line (as per Matt Vensel). Hayes couldn’t find a consistent role in St. Louis last season and his numbers dipped to a career-low 29 points (13 goals and 16 assists) in 79 games. The 32-year-old is just two years removed from a 54-point season in Philadelphia and could have a bounce-back season if he can carve out a consistent role with the Penguins.

Metro Notes: Hayes, Michkov, Devils

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Wes Crosby writes on NHL.com that newly acquired Pittsburgh Penguins forward Kevin Hayes has something to prove with his new team. Hayes was traded for the second consecutive summer, this time from the St. Louis Blues to the Penguins, as he plays out the final two seasons of the seven-year $50MM contract that he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers on June 18th, 2019.

The Flyers traded Hayes to the Blues last summer for a sixth-round pick and retained 50% of his cap hit, and the Blues dealt Hayes to Pittsburgh on July 1st along with a second-round pick in a salary cap dump. Penguins’ general manager Kyle Dubas has said that the Penguins expect Hayes to start the season at center, and given the Penguins’ depth, he will likely start on the third line. Hayes is coming off back-to-back disappointing seasons and posted a career-low 13 goals and 16 assists in 79 games last season.

Hayes told NHL.com that he is feeling inspired as he heads into his first season in Pittsburgh and believes that he needs to develop more of a shoot-first mentality to fit in with the team.

In other Metropolitan Division Notes:

  • Philadelphia Flyers top prospect Matvei Michkov has officially landed with the team after a 22-hour flight to the United States (team tweet). The 2023 seventh overall pick was greeted at the airport by Flyers general manager Danny Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones and wanted to get on the ice immediately but wasn’t able to. The 19-year-old forward signed his ELC three weeks ago and his arrival to Philadelphia comes much earlier than had been anticipated. Many believed it would be another two years before Michkov would play in North America, but with his release from SKA St. Petersburg a month ago, it cleared the way for him to make the move to the NHL.
  • James Nichols of NJ Hockey Now is reporting that the New Jersey Devils have invited defenseman Igor Mburanumwe to training camp this fall. Mburanumwe stands an imposing 6’5” tall and weighs 206 pounds. The 20-year-old spent most of his QMJHL career with the Victoriaville Tigres but was traded to the Acadie-Bathhurst Titan early last season and finished his junior career with the team. The Chambly, Quebec native doesn’t offer much offensively, having posted just nine goals and 29 assists in 188 QMJHL games, however, 20 of those points came last season in just 57 games with the Titan.

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